{"id":12555,"date":"2010-09-20T11:44:22","date_gmt":"2010-09-20T18:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=12555"},"modified":"2021-01-27T18:37:43","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T01:37:43","slug":"college-confidential-1960","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=12555","title":{"rendered":"College Confidential (1960)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I want you to abandon this dangerous project, which people are interpreting in the worst possible way!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Poster-202x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-66430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Poster-202x300.jpg 202w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Poster-86x128.jpg 86w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Poster-182x270.jpg 182w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Poster.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA sociology professor (Steve Allen) under fire for corrupting his students (including Mamie Van Doren) is investigated by an inquisitive journalist (Jayne Meadows).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>College<\/li>\n<li>Elisha Cook Jr. Films<\/li>\n<li>Falsely Accused<\/li>\n<li>Herbert Marshall Films<\/li>\n<li>Journalists<\/li>\n<li>Mamie Van Doren Films<\/li>\n<li>Morality Police<\/li>\n<li>Professors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAlbert Zugsmith directed and produced this tepid exploitation flick meant to capitalize on both the success of 1958&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=135\"><em>High School Confidential<\/em><\/a> (also co-starring Mamie Van Doren) and the era&#8217;s infamous <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kinsey_report\">Kinsey Reports<\/a>. Unfortunately, Irving Shulman&#8217;s screenplay tries so hard to be sensationalistic that it comes across more like a loosely focused series of vignettes than a compelling narrative. Numerous characters &#8212; including Elisha Cook, Jr. as van Doren&#8217;s irate father:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Cook-Jr.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Cook-Jr-1024x595.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"372\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66435\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Cook-Jr-1024x595.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Cook-Jr-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Cook-Jr-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Cook-Jr-768x446.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Cook-Jr-1536x893.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Cook-Jr-465x270.png 465w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Cook-Jr.png 1791w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Pamela Mason as Allen&#8217;s jealous fiancee, Herbert Marshall as Allen&#8217;s sympathetic supervisor, and Ziva Rodann as a lusty &#8220;foreign&#8221; bombshell with the hots for Allen &#8212; are introduced for a scene or two, then disappear completely from the story; meanwhile, the identity of the person &#8220;framing&#8221; Allen is patently obvious to anyone half paying attention. The dialogue throughout is laughably campy (&#8220;Now I&#8217;m going to shock you good people even more than before: I&#8217;m going to reveal the source books of my questions &#8212; first of all, the Bible itself&#8221;), and while Zugsmith aims for stylistic creativity in his direction:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Shot.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Shot-1024x592.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"370\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Shot-1024x592.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Shot-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Shot-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Shot-768x444.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Shot-1536x889.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Shot-467x270.png 467w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Shot.png 1775w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; it&#8217;s often simply clumsy &#8212; as when he positions the camera from inside a refrigerator for a lengthy scene, or awkwardly shifts perspective time and again during van Doren&#8217;s heated argument with her father and mother. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/71212\/college-confidential#articles-reviews?articleId=258812\">TCM<\/a>&#8216;s article, Allen apparently signed on to this project thinking he was giving himself a rare non-comedic role to bite into; little did he know that he would instead be starring in what Peary refers to as a &#8220;camp classic&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Allen.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Allen-1024x588.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Allen-1024x588.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Allen-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Allen-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Allen-768x441.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Allen-1536x883.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Allen-470x270.png 470w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/College-Confidential-Allen.png 1787w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> While <em>College Confidential<\/em> is no great shakes as entertainment, it&#8217;s infinitely more watchable than the <em>other<\/em> college-themed Mamie Van Doren film Zugsmith directed and produced (later that same year): the utterly abysmal <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2353\"><em>Sex Kittens Go to College<\/em> (1960)<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Some amusingly campy dialogue:<br \/>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Have I ever stopped you from being strong and silent?&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo. Listed as a Camp Classic in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0053727\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1960\/08\/22\/archives\/screen-campus-claptrapsteve-allen-and-wife-in-college-confidential.html\">NY Times Original Review (spoiler alert)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/71212\/college-confidential#articles-reviews?articleId=258812\">TCM Underground Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I want you to abandon this dangerous project, which people are interpreting in the worst possible way!&#8221; Synopsis: A sociology professor (Steve Allen) under fire for corrupting his students (including Mamie Van Doren) is investigated by an inquisitive journalist (Jayne Meadows). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: College Elisha Cook Jr. Films Falsely Accused Herbert Marshall Films Journalists Mamie Van Doren Films Morality Police Professors Review: Albert Zugsmith directed and produced this tepid exploitation flick meant to capitalize on both the&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=12555\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12555"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66436,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12555\/revisions\/66436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}